It’s the second week of summer camp here at The Craft Nest and this week’s project features a free printable. Our day camp instructor this week is Donna from Swish Printables. Donna is a self-professed party junkie! She loves everything about parties. She loves planning them…going to them… and shopping for them. She loves it all! She’s a stay-at-home mom who tries to balance life with two small kids, a busy husband, and her love of all things printable!

Today Donna is showing you and your kids how to print and assemble an awesome banner for your family to hang in honor of the 4th of July. You can read more about her project and get this free 4th of July Printable by visiting her site at this link: Swish Printables.

Visit us next Tuesday the 2nd of July for another patriotic themed day camp project. And if you missed last weeks project, click here to see what you missed!

The post Summer Day Camp | July 4th Printables appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

It’s Girl Scout cookie time. What’s your favorite? Thin Mints? Samoas? Tagalongs? Hmmm, sounds like it might be time to raid my secret stash… Let’s celebrate the Girl Scout cookie with a free printable!

I had a reader ask me to make this printable for her and I thought I would share it with all of you. Like before, one is a 5×7 .jpg and the other is a .pdf of 20 small rectangles the measure 1.25″w x 2.375″h.

I am sure you can find a lot of uses for this printable. As always I would love to see what you are creating!

You can download the FREE printables by clicking on the links below:

• Keep Calm – I Have Girl Scout Cookies-5×7
• Keep Calm – I Have Girl Scout Cookies Tags

The post Printable | Keep Calm – I Have Girl Scout Cookies appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you in the holiday spirit yet? I have some more free printables for you because I am feeling so festive!

Print these pretty signs out and place them in a frame, make them into your Christmas card or Mod Podge them to a canvas or piece of wood to create decor for your mantle. (See some cool Mod Podge ideas here.)

I would love to see your projects, just leave feedback or a link in the comments!

As always this art is for your personal use only.

Free Downloads:

• Santa Subway Art 11×14
• Holly Jolly 8.5×11
• be jolly 5×7

The post Printable | Christmas Posters appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Are you looking for a gift for a Girl Scout or a Girl Scout leader? Well, you are in luck because I have some FREE printables for you to use.I have two printables for you. One is a 5×7 .jpg and the other is a .pdf of 20 small rectangles the measure 1.25″w x 2.375″h.

Use the large image to print out and place in a frame and give as a gift for your daughter’s leader to display on their desk or wall. The small tag size images can be used to make small ornaments or gift tags.

You can download the Free printables by clicking on these links:

• Keep Calm I’m A Girl Scout – 5×7 .jpg
• Keep Calm I’m A Girl Scout – rectangle tags .pdf

I would love to see what projects you make. Come back and leave some links in the comments!

The post Printable | Keep Calm I’m A Girl Scout appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Remember earlier in the week when I teased you with the hint of a free pattern? Here it is. A free pattern download to create a matching fleece animal hat for your daughter’s American Girl Doll or 18″ doll. This hat will also fit a 15″ Bamboletta or various styles of Waldorf dolls too.

This free doll hat download has the same animal ears to match the Fleece Animal Hat Pattern for children that you can read about and purchase here.

I hope you are getting inspired to make your holiday gifts handmade! And please share my website with your friends so they can be inspired to create handmade gifts this year too.

Please note that this pattern is for personal use only. You may not sell this pattern, variations of this pattern or hats made from this pattern.

15″ Bamboletta Doll

Supplies:

• 8″ x 22″ piece of fleece for outer layer
• 8″ x 22″ piece of fleece for inner layer
• 24″ of ribbon
• Straight Pins
• Needle and Thread
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors
• Printed Doll Fleece Animal Hat Pattern

How To:

1. Print out the pattern pieces and cut them out.
2. *note: all the sewing was done with the fabric on the outside edge of my sewing foot, unless otherwise noted.
3. Fold outer layer fabric with right sides together and pin pattern (main hat piece and ear) to fabric. Cut out main hat piece and ear. You should have two cut fabric pieces for each shape.
4. Repeat step 2 with inner layer fabric.

5. 

   With right sides together, sew along top outside edge of outer layer fabric. Repeat for inner layer fabric.

6. 

   Place the inner layer hat inside the outer layer hat. Make sure right sides are together. Cut 2 – 12″ pieces of ribbon. Sandwich the ribbon in between the layers (as shown above). Place one on each side of the hat near the bottom corner. Pin in place. Pin together layers all around edge of hat.

7. Sew around outside edge of hat. Leave at least a 2″ hole for turning the hat right side out.
8. Turn hat right side out and sew hole closed. You can use a machine or do it by hand.

9. 

   Hat turned right side out. If you don’t want to add ears, then your hat is finished!

10. 

    With right sides together, sew around outside edge of ears. You will want to sew quite close to the edge, but make sure you are catching both layers of fabric. Do not sew bottom closed.

11. 

    Turn ears right side out.

12. 

    Pin ears to hat. Hand sew ears in place.

13. 

    Your hat is done! Try hat on favorite doll to check the fit.

Free Download: Doll Fleece Animal Hat Pattern

*Please note that this pattern is for personal use only. You may not sell this pattern, variations of this pattern or hats made from this pattern.

The post Handmade Holidays | Doll Fleece Animal Hat Pattern appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

My son is in love with all things Space. For his birthday he wanted to take a Space themed treat to school to celebrate. I came up with an idea to create the Space Shuttle out of Lifesavers and Hershey’s Kisses. For me this was better than baking cupcakes! It probably was better for the teacher too, who didn’t have to help a class of Kindergarteners unwrap their cupcakes and then clean up the frosting mess afterward.

Later this week I hope to post about the Solar System mobile we made and tell about his Space themed birthday party. So check back to see what cool space projects  you can make!

***NEW – I just added a separate download for a Rolo sized wrapper. See the free downloads below.

Supplies:

• Lifesaver Rolls (I bought mine at Sam’s Club)
• Hershey’s Kisses (at Sam’s Club)
• Glue Dots
• School Glue
• White Paper
• Color Printer
• Silhouette Machine (optional)
• Black Paper
• Space Shuttle Treat Download

How To:

1. Use a large glue dot to stick a Hershey’s Kiss to the top of each Lifesaver roll.
2. Use a color printer to print out the Space Shuttle Treat Download and then cut out all the needed pieces. (If you have a Silhouette Cutter and Illustrator it will be easiest to download the file and open up the .pdf page of fins in Illustrator, then use black paper in your machine to cut out the fins.)
3. Wrap the Space Shuttle paper around the Lifesavers and adhere the wrapper to itself by making a line of glue along the long edge and overlapping the ends of the paper. Hold in place for a few seconds to let it set, then put it aside to dry.
4. Make a small fold on the long straight edge of each fin. Run a small line of glue along each (4) black line at the bottom of the space shuttle wrapper (see pic below) and adhere fins to wrapper. Hold in place for a few seconds and then put it aside to dry.
5. Use as a treat at a space themed party or pass your Space Shuttles out at school on your birthday!

Free Download: Space Shuttle Treat Download

Rolo-Sized Wrapper: Space Shuttle Treat Rolo-Sized Wrapper

The post How To | Space Shuttle Party Treat appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

The best part of a birthday party surprise is planning the decorations. As I said in a previous post I do all my decorating when my kids are asleep, so the decorations have to be simple to hang up. My daughter was in love when she came downstairs on the morning of her birthday and saw these lovely tissue paper bunny fans hanging from the ceiling. Want to know how to make your own? Just follow the instructions below.

How To | Tissue Paper Party Decorations

Supplies:

• Assorted Colors of Tissue Paper (I bought a pastel pack from Dollar Tree)
• Embroidery Floss
• 11×17 White Paper
• Scissors
• Double-sided Tape
• Tissue Paper Bunny Head Download
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

How To:

1. You need four pieces of tissue paper to create one fan. Use two pieces together and fold them using an accordion fold. Fold the second two pieces together using an accordion fold.
2. Tie both sets of folded tissue paper together in the center using embroidery floss. Leave two long tails of floss and tie them together at the top. The tissue paper will attach together inside of this open loop and will be used to hang the fans.
3. You will have four different sections of tissue paper.
4. Use pieces of double-sided tape to tape the sections together.
5. Once all sections are taped together the fan will be a complete circle.
6. Print off one bunny head shape from the file download (Tissue Paper Bunny Head). Use the one as a template to cut out multiple bunny heads. I like to staple multiple pieces of paper together and then cut them all out at once.
7. Using a hot glue gun, glue the bunny heads onto the tissue paper fans. Put a bunny head on each side.
8. Use the long thread to tape the tissue paper fans to the ceiling.

Free Download:

Click here – Tissue Paper Bunny Head

*(for personal use only)

The post How To | Bunny Party Tissue Paper Decorations appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

I drew up these fun cartoon-ish looking faces to use on our Valentine’s cards this year. I have the free download below if you want to use them for your cards too. Super cute, but there is a little assembly required! The recipients are gonna love them though. (Please remember this art is available for personal use only.)

How To | Silly Face Valentine’s Day Cards

Supplies:

Silly Boy Version -

• Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Art
• Mustache Art
• A2 Size Envelopes (fits 4.25″ x 5.5″ size card)
• Smooch Spritz in Cherry Ice by Hampton Arts
• 20mm (or so) Googly Eyes
• Popsicle Sticks
• Black Paper
• Tape
• Glue Dots
• Glue

Boy Version How To:

1. Print out Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Card art. Trim to size. (I printed the words directly on the back side of the card. I did not make mine a folding card.)
2. Print out Mustache Art. Cut mustaches out of black paper. (I used my Silhouette (in Illustrator) to cut out the mustaches.)
3. Glue googly eyes in the correct spot on the cards.
4. Put a small piece of tape on the boy face under the nose. Then adhere the mustache on top of the tape using a glue dot. This will allow the mustache to be removed later without tearing the card.
5. Insert Boy Valentine’s Card into envelope and add a Popsicle stick inside the envelope too.
6. To create a design on your envelope, cut out a heart shape and lay it on your envelope. Use Smooch Spritz and spray your envelope. Lift off the heart and you have a cool heart void left!
7. Seal and deliver.

Text on the backside of the Boy Valentine reads: “Valentine, Let’s make silly faces together.” Along the bottom in small print it says, “Use crayons or markers to color the picture on the front. Carefully unstick the mustache from the front and attach it to the enclosed popsicle stick. Hold the mustache in front of your face and make your own silly faces.”

***************************************************************

Supplies:

Beautiful Girl Version -

• Beautiful Girl Valentine Art
• A2 Size Envelopes (fits 4.25″ x 5.5″ size card)
• Smooch Spritz in Cherry Ice by Hampton Arts
• 18mm (or so) Googly Eyes
• Paper Punch
• Glue
• Bobby Pins with Pad (mine are from here)
• Cabochon Flowers (mine are Martha Stewart from Jo-Anns)
• E6000 Glue
• Wax Paper

Girl Version How To:

1. Print out Beautiful Girl Valentine Card art. Trim to size. (I printed the words directly on the back side of the card. I did not make mine a folding card.)
2. Glue googly eyes in the correct spot on the cards.
3. Using your Bobby Pins with pad, glue a cabochon flower onto each pin using E6000. Do all your gluing over wax paper or other disposable surface. E6000 has a tendency to run out of the tube quickly. Set aside and let dry.
4. Use a paper puncher to punch a hole in the hair of the girl card. (See pic above for placement.) Insert a bobby pin into the hole.
5. Insert Girl Valentine’s Card into envelope.
6. To create a design on your envelope, cut out a heart shape and lay it on your envelope. Use Smooch Spritz and spray your envelope. Lift off the heart and you have a cool heart void left!
7. Seal and deliver.

Text on the backside of the Girl Valentine reads: “Valentine, Let’s be beautiful together.” Along the bottom in small print it says, “Use crayons or markers to color the picture on the front. Afterward carefully remove the bobby pins from the front and put them in your hair. You look marvelous darling!”

***************************************************************

Free Downloadable Art:

Click Here – Silly Mustache Boy Valentine Card

Click Here – Mustache Art

Click Here – Beautiful Girl Valentine Card

The post Printable | My Silly and Beautiful Valentine Cards appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

My daughter is having her friends over in a couple weeks to make crafts. We decided we wanted to make finger puppets as one of the projects. We wanted them to come in a little gift box so everyone would have their own Finger Puppet Kit. We made enough kits for her friends and a few extras to give to cousins. I am really excited to make these with the girls when they come over, my daughter is really excited too. If you want to make some Finger Puppet Kits to give as gifts, you can download my FREE patterned gift box by clicking on the link below. (Don’t forget to LIKE us on Facebook so you don’t miss out on any great craft ideas!)

Handmade Holidays | How To | Finger Puppet Kit

Supplies:

• Stretch Gloves or Recycle Old Gloves (Target has 2 for $2 or Jo-Anns has them in their dollar bins at the checkout)
• 5mm Googly Eyes
• Tiny Pom-Pom Balls
• Assorted buttons, trims, wire and paper flowers
• Colored Paper
• Felt
• Glue
• Scissors
• Small Baggie
• Finger Puppet Gift Box Template Download

How To:

1. Download and print the Free Finger Puppet Gift Box Template. (It will work best if you print the template on a thicker paper.) Cut along the solid lines and score lightly using a craft knife on the dotted lines. Fold on dotted/scored lines. Adhere side of gift box together using double-sided tape or glue.
2. Cut fingers off of gloves.
3. Count out googly eyes. Add assorted pom-pom balls and trims.
4. Cut out paper and felt in 1″ squares.
5. Place all the googly eyes, trims, paper, felt and other small items into a small baggie.
6. Place glove fingers and baggie of items into box and fold sides closed.
7. Give as a gift!

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Click here – Finger Puppet Gift Box Template Download

Linked to: Where Women Create

The post Handmade Holidays | Finger Puppet Kit appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.

Over the weekend my daughter and I made these bottle cap necklaces to give to her friends as gifts when they come over in a couple weeks to make some Christmas crafts. She was so excited to help me put them together. We think they turned out really cute! The perfect handmade gift for little girls. If you want to make some with your daughter check out the free download below, it has the cute little girl faces for you to use to make your own necklaces! (The free download has a larger variety of hair colors than the necklaces shown above and no names.)

Handmade Holidays | How To | Bottle Cap Necklaces

Supplies:

• Darice Cotton Loops (found at Michaels)
• Jump Rings
• Bottle Caps (I got mine at Oriental Trading $4 for 24)(Also at Hobby Lobby $9 for 24)
• Gemstones
• Magic-Glos by Lisa Pavelka (found at Hobby Lobby) (other options are Diamond Glaze or 3D Crystal Laquer)
• Crop-A-Dile
• Scissors
• Double-sided Tape
• Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download

How To:

1. Use your Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole into the bottle caps.
2. Print out the Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download and cut out the ones you want to use.
3. Secure art to bottle cap using a small piece of double-sided tape.
4. Add a gemstone onto the art.
5. Follow the directions and add your Magic-Glos. Let it set for a very long time according to directions. Try to make sure you have nothing near by the bottle caps that will get fuzz or dirt on the glaze after you have applied it. Keep an eye on them as they dry and pop bubbles with a toothpick or pin.
6. Add a jump ring to the top through the hole.
7. Thread your cotton loop through the jump ring and knot the ends together. (I cut my cotton loops in thirds to make them the right size for the girls necks.)
8. Package in a cute gift box!

FREE DOWNLOAD:

Click Here – Bottle Cap Necklace Art Download

Linked to: Where Women Create

The post Handmade Holidays | Bottle Cap Necklaces appeared first on Alanna George | The Craft Nest.